Is it just me or crafted/valor equipment is mandatory if i want to level solo w/o cleric buffs/buff pots.
the defense stat feels useless (i'm already using a +8/9 level 40 quest set which is stronger than a +8/9 level 50 npc bought set),
dodge is unreliable even with Acc debuffs.
My damage feels very weak even though i'm already using a Dual Death Render(even though it is clean, it has an AP equivalent of a clean level 96 Dual Sword which is stronger than the +9 level 50 weapon) .
The only way to go is PVM offense/defense but another issue comes out here. The Stat is only obtainable from crafted and valor equipment.
Yes, I can make a craft dealer but he/she/it is also affected by the def/dodge issues not to mention he/she/it will have inferior damage output and is squishier even with self-crafted gears and a pure con build (probably caused by Damage Nerfs on Grenades and the removal of the effect of Con on HP/MP Recovery). The Dealer's Weakness will force me to find a full-time buffer which will lead me to create a Support Muse (so easy to level back in the day when charm was useless and int affects the buffs. Today? you are forced to use the stat/skill reset to re-spec from damage dealer to support or go play with two clients which is even slower). This is a problem because, to level my Main Character I have to level up two other characters.
Here is another issue: unless you do your research or lucky enough to stumble onto one, you will never know that crafted equipment adds pvp/pvm offense/defense or even about valor/honor equips. The game does not introduce you to those things, not a tip/hint/tutorial/etc. unless you are already a dealer that is just clicking some buttons to see what they do (that's how i found out).
The next issue is the valor quest. There is no introduction to them, not even the mayor or the guy that teaches you how to drive talks about them. i don't even think those union guys have a quest marker on their heads just like how keenu doesn't have a quest marker when she needs your help finding her threads. There is also the fact that you could be doing valor quests when you hit 30 but you do not because of lack of information, so you start doing it at level 50 after arriving at junon polis, then by the time you had saved enough valor points to buy ONE piece of the level 50 set, you are already close to reaching level 70 because of the lack of information at earlier levels or the miserable drop rate of quest items. I even read one guy said those items are not worth it (too expensive i guess, maybe you need to adjust the cost curve reduce the price by 20% for level 50 then 12.5% and 6% then decreasing to current price for level 100 and above).
regarding valor equips,why do other classes' sets don't have set effect? is it because dex as a stat is weak and unreliable? or the item descriptions are bugged.
The last issue is the Hero Quest: Why would i do the Hero quests if valor quests exists and they reward me with better stuff (Hero quests needs updated rewards or just updated in general for the stuff they force you to do, not to mention the inefficiency because of the level gap forced when requiring a level of 30 so that the guy on the boat in adventure's plain will allow you to ride in his boat then being tossed around hunting yellow monsters, then red, then green, then blue, you get the idea).
-a level 63 hawker that almost died to a warrior krawfy twice today even when we were fighting 1 on 1 but was fine last week